“To those who construed my comment as being anti-gay or homophobic or advancing violence, I’m truly sorry. I can certainly understand how someone could come to a different conclusion than the one I meant. I’m disheartened that my words would embolden prejudice. While public debate over social issues is healthy, no matter which side someone takes, there is no room for debate as to whether we need to be respectful of others.”

Violence against gay people or against any other minority isn’t a political opinion. At a time when anti-gay violence afflicts countless LGBT and LGBT-perceived people in this country every day, prominent figures like Martin should condemn, not promote, such violence.

Karen Handel, an executive at the Susan G. Komen Foundation, resigned on Tuesday. Handel, a former Republican candidate for governor, had been suspected as being the root of the breast cancer charity’s controversial decision last week to pull funding from Planned Parenthood—and attracted attention after she re-tweeted a comment that it was “just like a pro-abortion group to turn a cancer orgs decision into a political bomb to throw. Cry me a freaking river.”